The Torce Travels
by HangHead
Summary: Rick started out as any other ambitious Pokemon trainer. But he soon becomes the centre of highly unwanted attention.
1. Enter Marcel

Marcel Jelvos nervously drank the special tonic that been devised for this extreme training situation. He was not sure that it's effect would last much longer. He was even wearing a special cooling suit for these conditions. The Chamber was twice as big as a football field and was made out of a material which could withstand even the most destructive of Pokémon attacks. It was designed specifically for the training of fire Pokémon, to withstand high temperatures and cool them down. But these were some of the most powerful fire Pokémon in the world. Even Flint, the Fire-type maestro of the Sinnoh Elite four, would have admired these Pokémon .The temperature in the special training chamber was about 101̊C (213̊F) and it was ever on the rise. The confined nature of the training chamber did not help matters. But this was vital to the mission they were bent on achieving. Even a slight shortfall in the strength of these Pokémon would jeopardize their whole mission.

"Come on, Arcanine! Houndoom! Charizard! Infernape! Show me more!" spat out Marcel. He was a short (about 5'7"), black-haired young man, about 23-25 years of age. He started out as any other trainer, an ambitious boy in search of Pokémon league glory. But then, He found something else to fight for. Something bigger, and more meaningful than the pursuit of a meaningless title that made one more of a celebrity than a great man who mattered.

The four fire Pokémon turned up the heat, literally. Each Pokemon was already spewing a powerful stream of red-hot fire that would have melted boulders. The heat intensified even further. The Charizard and Infernape were locked in a duel of their flamethrower attacks, and so were the Houndoom and Arcanine. Charizard seemed to have the edge over Infernape. The temperature shot up further. Any man not in a suit would have died by now.

"Stop" The voice, clearly of female origin, boomed through the loudspeakers of the chamber. "Jelvos, report to the meeting room 10 minutes from now" continued the voice.

Jelvos obeyed, and ordered his Pokemon to stop. "That's enough today. Well done. I am proud of you. Now, you know the drill to cool down." said the man. The Pokémon understood. They had spent years on end to achieve this level, after all. The flames slowed down initially, became less intense, and then finally subsided. The four Pokémon then faced Jelvos. Fatigue was etched on their faces, but they did their best not to show it. "You deserve a nice rest" he said, while detaching four Pokèballs from his black Pokèbelt. He held the Pokeballs, two in each palm, and faced them towards the Pokemon. The spherical red-white object recognized it's Pokemon tenants, and reduced them to white energy and absorbed them within.

Jelvos stepped out of the training chamber, removed his special suit and hung it in the changing rooms and headed towards the meeting room. _It will happen. Any day now, the years of training will be put to use, _he mused to himself. He was growing impatient with the endless training and lack of battles, and so were the rest of the team.

He entered the meeting room. It was a large room, with a long rectangular table. The rest of the top trainers of the organization had already arrived. There were about 10-15 people They were mostly middle-aged men, with the exception of the woman at the head of the table. She looked about 55-60, had white hair, and was about 5'10". She was one of the most dangerous, if not the most, dangerous people on the planet. Jelvos took a seat on the left-hand side of the table, next to his friend, Andreas Walker. They had joined the organization together, and often trained together.

"Gentlemen, the time has come." The woman said. Her voice was sharp, and let everyone know who was in charge. We will mount our first assault soon. The intense training that you and your Pokemon have gone through will now see its rewards."

She waited for some time to see the expressions on the faces of the men. Most of them seemed motivated to carry out the task they were recruited to do, except Walker, whose expression was inscrutable, and Jelvos, who was simply tired.

"The latest equipment by our scientists show what they call a PPP-short for Pokemon presence and power at 20,917. This score is astronomical, they have informed me, and even the Indigo plateau at the time of the Pokemon league, when Moltres himself arrives to light the torch, does not show as high reading. Articuno is there, gentlemen, and he is very well protected. And together, with our Pokemon, we will capture Articuno! And destroy it!"


	2. Another day in Saffron

i

The Trainer's School campus was one of the few places in the congested Saffron City which had more trees than concrete. It was dedicated to equipping twelve and thirteen year olds with the knowledge required to train Pokémon and to survive in different places across the five nations. Due to the rigorous nature of the course, and the hardships often involved in Pokémon training, many children who once harboured the dream of wearing the Champion's mantle and being called a 'Pokémon Master' had abandoned it in favour of pursuits such as medicine, sports and architecture.

Rick Torce was not one of them. The tall, dark-haired boy angrily stepped out of the large iron gate of the school. He was absolutely livid at his PAA (Pokémon Attacks/Abilities) teacher, Mark Thompson. He had once again returned Rick's homework paper on one-hit knockout attacks without a 'complete' mark, which meant that Rick had to do the assignment all over again. His blue backpack precariously dangled from his left shoulder, its chances of falling increasing with every rage-filled step he took. On top of that, he wore a black shirt on a very hot day which didn't help his already short temper.

_What is wrong with that Johnson guy? _He thought to himself. _The bastard rejects my homework without as much as glancing at it, of this I am sure. He has given 'complete' marks on other papers similar or worse than mine. And I don't have this problem with other subjects. And the worst part is that no one believes me._

"Thompson again?" said a familiar voice, right behind him. A blond boy, dressed in a red t-shirt and a blue pair of jeans, walked up to Rick from behind. "Don't let that guy get to you, Ricky. PAA is just one subject. You'll ace the final test!" he said encouragingly.

"That may be true, Lars" grumbled Rick. "But I don't understand why this bastard hates me so much."

Lars replied "If this is so serious, maybe you should complai..."

"NO. I will not complain. It's just one subject, like you said. And he doesn't check the final test paper. Are you on for tonight?"

"You bet, Ricky! You know I wouldn't miss Pewter vs. Saffron!" Lars responded. Other than Pokémon battling, our common interest is football. None of us play it well, but we both are fans of the Pewter Cannons. Our mutual hatred of the local team, the Saffron Sharpedoes, had been the reason for our friendship in the first place.

"Is John coming?" asked Rick. Like Lars and him, John too hated the Saffron Sharpedoes.

"You know how he is. He went on a rant about studying and the exams being two months away the moment I asked him."

"I didn't expecting him to come anyway. Bring the snacks, will you? and a little less instant popcorn this time."

The two friends reached the bus stop.

"So, are you going to do the homework again?" asked Lars.

"Just once more. If he rejects that too, then I am not submitting it again, and to hell with the grade. I just have to clear the exams."

As they spoke, a bright red bus arrived. Rick and Lars checked the bus number, and then they both climbed on it.

"Two tickets to Silph road" Rick said to the conductor, who was wearing a dark blue

About 10 minutes later, the boys got off the bus and headed to their homes. Rick's was a small flat in an apartment. Rick was surprised to see some cops around the apartment.

"What's going on here?" asked Rick

"Vokes's place got burgled again." Replied a man. Rick recognized him, as he lived in the same apartment.

"But that's not happened since.."

"I know. That's why there are so many cops here."

Vokes was a famous scientist/archaeologist, who had discovered the various effect of items on Pokémon evolution. It was rumoured that he had discovered a stone that vastly increased the power of Pokémon, a rumour only fuelled by rampant burglaries at his house and the bank where he had a safety deposit box.

_It's been 10 years since the last one though, _thought Rick to himself. He was told by the police to leave until their investigation was complete.

"You can return at around 8:00 PM" assured the policeman.


	3. The Test

About 2 months later…

Rick sat in the small room, waiting for his turn to be called up in the practical exams. The students were sorted in the alphabetical order of their last names, and he was the last one in that order. It also meant that he had to wait the longest. It was really hot, and the only source of cooling in the room was an extremely slow wobbling fan. It looked like it would collapse any minute now.

The theory papers were far easier than Rick expected. Most of the questions and topics that he dreaded did not appear, except a particularly nasty one about dark-type Pokémon's biology, and the way to train them. There was far more to being a trainer than battling, and each Pokémon had to be trained differently to maximize its potential.

A man walked out the door, with a clipboard in hand. Rick had seen him about a million times now. He announced the names of the candidates who were about to take the test now.

"Rick Torsee?" he said. Rick hated that pronunciation. No one got it right the first time. But then, no one could be expected to.

"It's pronounced 'torch' as in 'torchic'." Said Rick, clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry" said the man "you are up"

Rick stood up and walked through the door. This was the last practical test.

He stepped into a large hall, with brown-coloured walls. Most of the floor area was occupied by a typical Pokémon battle arena. A tall man with black hair walked up to him. He was dressed casually, in a grey shirt and black trousers.

"You are the last applicant for the day?" he asked. Rick nodded, looking around the room nervously.

"There are two practical tests you must pass. The first is a basic wilderness survival test. "

It lasted about an hour, and the examiner asked Rick to identify wild berries, and tell their effects on humans and pokémon. Then he was asked various questions about surviving in different environments like deserts and mountains.

"Good." Said the examiner "Now, the second test checks your ability to battle. Take this."

He gave Rick a belt with three pokémon, each one had a number marked on it (1, 2 and 3)

"You are to send out the Pokémon in the order of the number on the Pokèball." The examiner said as he walked to an end of the battle arena. Rick walked to the other end, firmly clutching the small black belt with the numbered Pokèballs. A referee walked into the room, and assumed the traditional referee position, facing the field from the side.

"Are you ready Mr Torce?" asked the examiner. Rick nodded. His nervousness caused him to crush the belt in his hand.

"Alright. Go!" said the man. He pressed the back button of the Pokèball with his palm, like all trainers do, and sent out his Pokémon.

'Jaaaaaaaatoo' said the Pokémon on a high voice, as it burst out of the ball engulfed by white energy. As the energy subsided, Rick recognized the Pokémon to be a Pidgeotto.

Rick picked out the Pokèball marked '1' from the belt, and released the Pokémon within. A similar blast of white energy later, it was revealed to be a Pikachu.

The sight of the electric-type rodent caused Rick to scringe. Rick hated Pikachu, and its consistent usage by the celebrity trainer Ash Ketchum intensified the hatred.

"Begin!" cried the referee, raising the two flags, coloured red and green.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" cried the examiner

"Pikachu, Thundershock!" said Rick.

The Bird Pokémon flapped its wings with force and sent a strong wind towards Pikachu, who shot a yellow electric wave at the bird.

"Jottoo!" said Pidgeotto, reeling from the super-effective attack. Pikachu was slightly blown away by the gust, but recovered faster than the Pidgeotto.

"Quick Attack, now!" shouted Rick. The Pikachu surged forward, hitting Pidgeotto before it could fully recover.

"Thundershock! Again!" shouted Rick.

"Sand-Attack!" shouted the examiner.

The Thundershock hit Pidgeotto just as it blew sand towards Pikachu.

"Joootoooo!" is yelled once again, before crumpling to the ground, its eyes now showing a spiral.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle, the winner is Pikachu and the candidate!" said the referee.

I returned the Pikachu to the Pokèball, waiting for the next battle.

The examiner sent out his next Pokémon, a Grimer. The sludge pokémon appeared, grinning in an annoying way.

I sent out the next Pokémon, which turned out to be a Koffing. The purple-coloured ball pokémon appeared, spewing small quantities of a yellow gas.

"Begin!" said the referee, once again raising the two flags.

"Use Tackle, Koffing!" I ordered, wondering how to beat the Grimer. I didn't even know many koffing's attacks.

"Grimer, use Pound!" he ordered.

Grimer and Koffing charged towards each other, shouting their names as they did so.

"Koffing, get around Grimer, quick!" he ordered, as they got close.

"Koooffii!" bellowed the poison gas Pokémon, as it used it's levitation to its advantage and managed to avoid Grimer.

Grimer was surprised by this move. Rick seized upon this chance

"Now! Tackle!" he ordered. Koffing slammed into Grimer, knocking the sludge Pokémon off. A red flash, barely detectable to the untrained eye appeared which meant only one thing.

A critical hit.

Sometimes, an attack does double the damage it would usually do. It has been attributed to the surge of some chemicals in the Pokémons body, and items like Razor Fang and Dire Hit had managed to raise the chances of such a hit.

The Grimer got up though, still hanging on. It seemed tired, but it had not thrown in the towel just yet.

"Pound!" said the examiner.

"Tackle!"

Both Pokémon charged towards each other once again, but Koffing had the upper hand, and managed to overpower Grimer, sending it flying once again. This time, squiggles appeared in Grimer's eyes, indicating that it was unable to battle.

"Grimer is unable to battle! The victory goes to Koffing!" announced the referee, again raising the flag towards Rick.

Rick recalled the Koffing, knowing fully well that the final battle was the major factor in deciding the grade. So far, he had battled against a Pokémon with a type disadvantage against his and one with the same type. He knew that he would face a disadvantage in this battle.

"Go!" said the examiner, revealing the third Pokémon to be a Scyther. The mantis grinned, raising its scythes. "Scytheeee!" it cried.

Rick sent out his third Pokémon, which turned out to be a Kadabra.

_At least it's not Parasect against Charizard,_ Thought Rick.

"Swords Dance!" said the examiner. The Scyther started a mesmerizing dance which increased the sharpness of its scythes as well as highly boosting its powers.

_Damn! I forgot which moves Kadabra has that cause damage! I'll stall with this one though.._ mused Rick, suddenly appearing more nervous.

"Kadabra! Use Kinesis!" said Rick. _I have no idea whether this will work, though. Chance plays a big part in this._

Kadabra's spoon started bending in a weird way and emanating pink waves. It caught the Scyther's attention, as the swords dance seemed to slow down.

_Swords dance didn't have its full effect, but the Scyther's power must have gone up anyway, _thought Rick. _Thankfully its accuracy has also fallen._

"Scyther! Use Fury Cutter!" ordered the examiner. The Scyther charged towards the Kadabra, raising its blades. It was eager to strike.

"Kinesis again!" I cried. Once again, the Kadabra attempted to distract Scyther by twisting its spoon using its psychic powers. This time, however, it didn't succeed, as Scyther's fury cutter hit Kadabra first.

"Kadaaabraaa!" yelled the Pokémon, reeling from the hit.

_It's low defence and the super-effective hit didn't help_, thought Rick.

"Kadabra, Confusion!" yelled Rick, now feeling the pressure

"Scyther, fury cutter, again!" ordered the examiner.

Scyther charged again, it's scythes glowing a slight green this time. Kadabra concentrated, and formed a blue coloured ring using it's psychic powers. It then launched the energy ring at the scyther.

"Confusion, once again!" ordered Rick. The wave sent Scyther flying again, but the mantis pokémon refused to give up.

"Scyther! Use Slash!" ordered the examiner. Once again, it flew towards Kadabra.

"Teleport, then Confusion!"

Kadabra suddenly disappeared, causing Scyther to stop in its tracks. The Scyther began searching for Kadabra, looking around everywhere.

"Kadaabra!" said the Psi Pokémon, suddenly reappearing behind Scyther and sending out another blue ring, hitting the Scyther in the back. It collapsed, and squiggles formed in its eyes

"Scyther is unable to battle! Kadabra is the winner!" announced the referee.

_Brilliant_, thought Rick.

"That was a nice battle, Mr. Torse!" said the examiner.

"Thank you, sir!" replied Rick. He was so happy that he forgot to correct the examiner.

He walked out of the room, full of confidence.

He was well on his way to become a trainer now.


End file.
